Miriflower
by TakeALookattheInvisibleGirl
Summary: the title sucks... the first chapter is just a fluffy little thing where peder and miri take the walk they talked about in the book... i hope to turn this into a multichapter fic... it's been a while! story near and dear because my name is also Liana!
1. Chapter 1

Miri descended upon the stream, the spot where she'd agreed to meet Peder so that they could take a walk. The familiar tawny hair peeked into view and she saw him.

"There you are." Peder smiled his crooked smile and Miri blushed.

"Hello, Peder." He tried to reach for her hand, but she got nervous, tensed, and yanked her hand away before they could touch, faking a need to scratch her ear.

Peder frowned but gestured for her to follow him. It was a familiar trail, along the side of the stream, well-worn and lined with stones. Next to the stream, on the other side, were a series of larger rocks, facing the setting sun, perfect to sit on.

They did not speak as Peder led the way, two or three paces ahead of Miri. Her elbow-length brown hair was loose, and she could feel a slight wind tousling it as she walked. She could hear Peder muttering something to himself. He chuckled.

"What is it?" Miri said.

"Nothing." He put his left hand on her shoulder, and she immediately became aware of a large gash in his hand that had long since scabbed over and became a scar.

"Peder! What happened?" She grabbed his hand and looked at the scar. Peder laughed but did not say anything. Miri raised her eyebrows. "What? Did a goat bite you again?" She teased.

Peder smiled, "That was one time! I was seven!"

Miri laughed, "That's what you get for taunting a goat. But why the scar?"

"Oh, I just wasn't careful enough when I was carving that hawk of yours. It wasn't that bad." He took the hand that she was examining his with in his right hand. She blushed.

They kept walking.

A comfortable silence.

"Miri? You seem awfully quiet."

"What is there to say?" She inquired.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She gave up on the rules of Conversation then.

"Well... if I'm correct, you are the academy princess, you weren't chosen to be the prince's princess, and you've been held hostage and nearly killed by a wolf-pack of bandits, all over the course of a few weeks. You'd be right to be a little... _frazzled._"

"Frazzled?"

"Yes. Frazzled. Now answer the question, please."

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I'm worried about you... Liana's ma said the same thing after she fell down the side of the quarry, and they found her weeks later in the corner of the hut, curled into a ball weeping."

"Well, I didn't fall down the side of the quarry."

"Yes, your predicaments, if anything, have been worse."

"You flatter me."

"I don't mean to."

Miri gasped but saw that he was fooling when she heard him chuckling and looked over to see him smiling.

"Has my ma ever told you how she and my pa got married?" Peder said.

"No, I don't think so."

"Well, they were friends all throughout when they were young, but when my ma was fourteen, she had to go to the lowlands for a while to visit some dying uncle. Then, when she came home, she and my pa went on a walk, and he proposed to her out of the blue."

If she hadn't been paying attention, she was now.

"It doesn't work the same for us mountain men as it does for the prince. We don't get to have a fancy school set up and all the girls pore over us for a year, then just get to choose whichever one we want. I talked to Os, and my pa, and a couple of other men, and they said they married their best friends. And if there's ever a time..." He faced her, "It's now, before I lose you to something or," he swallowed, "some_one_."

She blushed and got nervous, and before she knew it, her feet were taking her in the direction of the village, Peder standing there, bewildered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so it's been a while, but on a whim I decided to check my messages and I found one for this story from more than a YEAR AGO from PeetaisGoode. It was super sweet and I thought I at least owed this story another chapter, so here goes.**

"Oh God, oh God, oh God..." Miri muttered to herself as her legs ventured faster than her feet could process toward the village.

She faltered for a split second upon the realization that she had nothing to run from, that it was only Peder and she could tell him anything. Still her legs continued before her mind had time to change.

_Hide._

_Hide._

_You need to hide._

_NOW. _

It was a short journey to her family's hut, familiar and not difficult, but, at the moment, seemed all too impossible to walk.

_So run._

_Run._

_Hide._

_NOW. _

_He's coming, you know._

_It won't be long now._

_GO!_

Miri felt her hand grasp the frozen doorknob and swing the door open, furtively moving inside and shutting it once again.

"What's going on?"

_NOT NOW._

"Oh, I didn't see you there, Pa. Everything's fine. Nothing to worry about."

_Yes there is._

_Yes worry._

"I thought you were with Peder?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Not exactly. We were just walking. Walk is over. Walk done. I'm done walking." coherence had definitely become an issue at this point.

"Are you okay?" Oh, he knew.

"Um. Yes. Well. No. Not really, actually. Did you put him up to this?"

"Put him up to what? What on earth could you possibly be talking about?" He joked sarcastically.

_I._

_Am._

_Not._

_In._

_The._

_Mood._

"Right. So. You know. Because you did. Well, thanks. It's all very flattering, but NO."

"What? Why not? Everyone sees it."

"Because no."

"Did you tell him that?"

"No."

"So you told him yes?"

"No."

"So what did you tell him?"

"Nothing. I said nothing. I walked away."

"Oh, for the love of- Miri. Miri. You know that I will always love you. And you know that I want what is best. And, right now, this is best."

"I don't want to."

"Yes you do. You just don't know you do."

"How can I know that I don't know that I do? How can you know that I don't know that I do? How can ANYONE know that I don't know that I do? It's not your decision."

"I hate to be the one to have to tell you this, but it is. Until you're eighteen, it is. You're very lucky, Miri. He loves you. Just try."

"Try what?"

"Try to love him too. It might surprise you. I think you already do."

"How can you think that you know if I do when I don't?"

"Wait... what? Never mind. Look, I'm not the one who needs to be convinced. I'm alright with waiting a while if it's for the best, but it's up to you to let him know. Be nice. I can promise you, he won't be thrilled- but he's not going to give up."

A well-timed knock on the door. "Miri?"

_Oh GOD._


	3. just a note

Hi, thank you all so much for the love and constructive criticism! I definitely appreciate what all of you have to say. I've been writing Miri I think more like myself than the character, but that's just my own personal writing style. Some of your reviews have been absolute day-makers; it's so nice to log on and find so much love! That being said, I doubt I'll be updating any time soon. This was a fluff piece I started when I was thirteen, and my writing is a lot different now. I would love love LOVE to hear from any of you about your writing, just message me or post a review! Thank you lovelies for all of your support and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.


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